Grand Canyon South Rim Hotels to Close as Stage 4 Water Restrictions Begin August 31

Grand Canyon National Park will close overnight accommodations operated by park concessioners beginning Monday, August 31, as the South Rim moves to Stage 4 water restrictions. The restrictions follow significant flash flooding in Bright Angel Canyon on August 29 that damaged critical inner-canyon infrastructure, including the Transcanyon Waterline.

Visitors planning to stay overnight inside the park will need to change their arrangements for the foreseeable future. The National Park Service said the damaged waterline is not operating, leaving the park with limited water reserves and prompting conservation measures intended to preserve available supplies. The South Rim will remain open for day use.

Which Grand Canyon lodging is affected

According to Grand Canyon National Park, all overnight accommodations operated by park concessioners will halt service effective August 31. The affected properties include Xanterra-operated lodging at El Tovar, Bright Angel Lodge, Maswik Lodge, and Phantom Ranch, along with Delaware North’s Yavapai Lodge and Trailer Village.

Hotels and other overnight accommodations in Tusayan, outside Grand Canyon National Park, are not affected by the changes to park operations, the park said.

What remains open on the South Rim

Although overnight lodging inside the park is closing, visitors can still enter Grand Canyon National Park for day use. South Rim food and beverage services, the Grand Canyon Clinic, and the Post Office are expected to stay open. The park cautioned that some operations may run on reduced hours.

• Only dry camping will be allowed on the South Rim.
• Campground spigots will be shut off, though bathroom faucets will continue to operate.
• Wood-burning and charcoal fires are prohibited on the South Rim and in inner-canyon areas. The restriction includes campfires, warming fires, and charcoal barbecues.
• Park lodging closures begin Monday, August 31, and restrictions are expected to remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Water conservation requested from visitors and residents

The National Park Service is asking everyone in the area to reduce water use while the Transcanyon Waterline remains out of service. Suggested conservation steps include keeping showers to five minutes or less, turning off faucets while brushing teeth or shaving, using full laundry loads, selectively flushing toilets, and reporting leaks to the appropriate offices.

The waterline carries water from the canyon for use in the park. Damage from the August 29 flooding along Bright Angel Canyon was described by the park as extensive, making conservation necessary to sustain the limited reserves currently available.

Recovery operation reported near Crystal Rapids

In an August 30 evening update, Grand Canyon National Park reported that recovery operations had been completed for a 46-year-old man near Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River. The Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office was onsite, according to the park. No additional information was released.

Visitors with upcoming reservations or plans involving overnight stays, camping, or fire use inside the park should account for the new restrictions and check for further updates from Grand Canyon National Park before traveling.

Official source: Read the original Grand Canyon National Park news release.

For more current park information, see Grand Canyon News & Updates.

GrandCanyonVisitorCenter.com is an independent visitor-information resource and is not operated by the National Park Service.